DIY jewelry made from polyer clay: photo, master class, video

The article will provide information on how to make jewelry from polymer clay.

You don’t have to buy beautiful, bright, juicy jewelry. You can make them yourself if you master the technique of working with polymer clay.

Polymer clay is a material whose consistency resembles plasticine. But due to heat treatment, it hardens and turns into plastic.
Polymer clay comes in many colors, shades and textures. Colors can be mixed, glitter and paint can be added to them
This material is non-toxic and even a child can work with it
You can make almost any type of jewelry from polymer clay: earrings, pendants, bracelets, watch bracelets and much more.
Fantasy is the main condition when working with this material. Flowers, fruits, animals, abstract elements - this is not a complete list of what can be realized using polymer clay

How to work with polymer clay, tips

First, let's choose a polymer clay manufacturer. It can be expensive or cheap, with a wide range of colors, and can be sold as a set or individual bars
Manufacturers such as Fimo, Kato, Pardo are quite expensive. There are also domestic, cheaper analogues
Do not immediately buy packaging of different colors. Buy 1 block and try it at home: how is its texture, mixability with other plastics and paints, bake the resulting material. Good clay should not crack or change color excessively.
For sculpting, you will need standard colors, which can later be mixed. You also need tools and a small electric oven
Usually on the packaging of polymer clay it is written how long it needs to be baked until ready and at what temperature
Please note that you need to work with polymer clay carefully. To maintain color purity, work with medical gloves and on a clean surface.
If you decide to make jewelry from plastic, then in addition to clay you will need accessories: earring earrings, fastening elements, decorative details and much more.

Polymer clay

Bright beads

For beginners, the easiest way to start is by sculpting beads that can be assembled into various jewelry. It is clear that the easiest thing that comes to mind is to simply take the color of the plastic, roll it into a circle, form a square or rectangle, pierce it with a toothpick to make a hole, and depending on the type of clay, bake it or leave it to cool. However, you can apply a few simple additional techniques and you will get original beads of the same shapes.

For example, salt technology. This is when the finished bead is rolled in coarse salt, thereby leaving an interesting relief on the surface of the workpiece.

After the beads have hardened, brush off the salt with a brush.

The next method is usually made from leftover clay, but you can also simply cut off several pieces from different flowers. The master class shows how to make a summer necklace. In addition to clay you will need:

glass or smooth ceramic tiles so that the clay does not stick and is easy to use (you can use a special mat for modeling);
a utility knife, preferably with a wide blade;
toothpicks;
pliers;
waxed lace;
jewelry cable;
accessories for the lock (rings, end locks);
beads.

Related article: Crochet little Christmas angel

We warm up the plastic thoroughly so that it becomes more pliable. Roll the pieces into sausages and place them into one without mixing yet. Approximately how to fold it is demonstrated in the photo.

Now we begin to twist the resulting block. The more rotations, the smaller the pattern.

You can make several such sausages. Then you need to cut them, pieces of different lengths are possible, then you will get beads of different sizes.

Actually now we roll the beads.

Since, according to the idea, either one cord or two passes through different beads, then, accordingly, in some we make a hole with a toothpick, and in others we widen it.

Now we figure out approximately how and where which beads will be located, and begin to assemble the necklace.

We string beads onto the cable, although if desired, they can be replaced with the same cord or strong thread.

You can also make a bracelet to go with the necklace.

Flowers made of polymer clay: master class

The most common and any flower is roses. At first glance it seems very difficult to do, but it’s not.
Pay attention to the structure of this flower - many petals held together, which are larger at the outer base and smaller at the inner one
Let's prepare the materials: we need plastic in the color of the future rose (red, pink, yellow or white), a modeling stack with a ball at the end
Let's make preparations for future petals: pinch off a piece of clay, knead it and roll it into a ball. Large balls are for outer petals, smaller ones are for inner petals.
Now we're missing a bud made from a thin layer of plastic
We make each petal from a ball, using a stack we give it a curved shape (this can be done with your hands)
We attach the petals to the bud one by one, adjusting the splendor of our flower
The finished rose can be used for decoration. To do this, you need to cut the base and make a hole for fastening.
Carefully place the flowers in the oven and bake until done. Then they can be opened with varnish if desired.

Roses made of polymer clay

Color transition

As the previous master class showed, mixing colors can create interesting options. Therefore, we will continue to study the relevant master classes.

We take two colors of polymer clay, form them into rectangles and cut them into two triangles each.

Then, we make rectangles from triangles of different colors.

Now you need to cut the resulting blanks crosswise into equal sections.

We mix each segment with the paired one from the second two-color block.

The resulting rectangle with a color transition can be rolled out and used, for example, to make rose petals or assemble a flower. You can watch the video on how to make such a flower.

The next technique for working with color, which is easy to perform, is “Watercolor”.

Another way to combine different shades of clay is a little more complicated than those described above. However, the uniqueness and beauty of the resulting patterns is worth all the effort. The technique is called “Mok ume Gane”, it came to us from Japan and was first used in working with metals.

Related article: Beaded lilies: a master class for beginners with photos and videos

The video will demonstrate in detail how jewelry is created using this option.

Polymer clay earrings

Now let's learn how to turn our roses into earrings. There are two ways. One of which is simpler, the second is more difficult, but the result is simply gorgeous

Simple earrings made of polymer clay (rose blanks)

Remove the rose blanks from the oven. They already have a hole for mounting
To turn them into earrings we will need: a pin with a double-sided eye, rings for fastening, earrings
We string the rose onto a pin and fasten it so that there is an eyelet at the top and bottom for attaching it to the part.
Attach a hook to the top using a ring
On the lower part - a bead in the color of a rose (or as your imagination dictates). The bead will make the earrings a little heavier and they will hang down without twisting.

Earrings made of polymer clay
Earrings in the form of a bouquet of roses

We need rose blanks again. But now they are raw and very small in size. They can come in a variety of contrasting colors, such as red and white
We make a ball base. We attach roses to it using a toothpick. Make sure that they are in good contact with the base ball and do not fall off after baking
Gaps can be filled with small green plastic leaves
Carefully make a hole in the ball where the pin will be attached
We bake our flower bouquet. The baking time will be slightly longer due to the greater density of the clay.
After cooling, we attach our ball to the wire. Spectacular earrings are ready!

Earrings bouquets

Polymer clay bracelet

First, let's figure out what elements the bracelet consists of: the base (chain, rope, wire or fishing line), clasp and decorative elements
We purchase the base and clasp from a hardware store, but we make the decorative elements ourselves
Let's make a bright berry bracelet from raspberries and blackberries. It will complement any summer look and looks very original.
To make raspberries, we need pink clay and green clay for the leaves. Making berries is very simple. The base is a dense plastic ball. Small balls of a similar color are attached to it. The balls are smaller at the bottom and larger at the top. We attach leaves to the base of the berry and attach a wire. Bake the berries according to the instructions for working with clay
We make blackberries in the same way, but from black or dark purple plastic
To make our bracelet brighter, in addition to the berries, we will attach beads to the base
For the base of such a bracelet, it is better to use a chain with a decorative clasp

Bright bracelet made of polymer clay

Extruder technology

An extruder is a tool for working with polymer clay. It looks like this:

It comes with several attachments:

This tool helps make working with clay easier, and many techniques could be invented with its help (syringe, torn edge, etc.).

And these “knitted” decorations are also created using an extruder. Although even without it it would be possible to manually wind threads made of polymer clay, but, undoubtedly, this device greatly simplifies and speeds up the work process.

Related article: Weaving baubles from floss threads for beginners with photos and videos

Naturally, all the variety of forms and techniques for using polymer clay to create jewelry cannot be included in one article. However, what is written is enough to make you want to get acquainted with the wonderful world of polymer clay and want to add plastic jewelry to your jewelry collection.

Polymer clay ring

A polymer clay ring can be made in two ways: solid plastic or based on
A solid ring is made using a mold. A mold is a heat-resistant silicone mold that is filled with plastic and baked with it. The hard plastic is then simply removed from the mold, sanded and varnished
For the second version of the ring you need a base. There are many such bases in hardware stores, where there is a niche for attaching plastic
You can imagine endless ways to decorate a ring. There are a lot of options, but the simplest and most versatile option is flowers.
A ring paired with earrings or a necklace looks especially original.

Solid rings

Ring based

Polymer clay beads

To learn how to make beads from polymer clay, first learn how to make smooth, neat beads
Even ordinary beads are not so easy to make so that they are the same size and correct shape. Practice making even balls of the same size and making holes in them for fastenings
Once the basics are mastered, you can begin making decorative beads

Polymer clay beads with metal effect

Such beads are difficult to distinguish from metal ones. But thanks to your imagination they will be unique
We will need gray or metallic plastic, an embossing element (for example, a button) and tools
First, roll out a smooth ball of plastic
Now we roll out the plastic into a dense layer and use a button to emboss it. To prevent the button from sticking to the polymer clay, moisten it with water.
Then carefully cut out the embossed elements with a blade and attach them to the ball
We decorate the joint with a decorative plastic cord
Make a hole in the bead for fastening
These beads can be used for beads, bracelets, earrings and much more.

Polymer clay beads

Polymer clay necklace

Making a massive summer necklace from polymer clay is more difficult and requires some skill.
For it we need: plastic, decorative beads, chain and fastening
First, draw a sketch and decide where which elements will be placed
Then we will prepare individual flowers, leaves and beads
For the base, we need a piece of thinly rolled plastic of the desired shape. Choose only high-quality plastic for such work, otherwise a poor base simply will not withstand the abundance of elements and will break
After preparation, we attach all the elements to the base according to the sketch. Don't forget to make holes for attaching to the chain

Polymer clay necklace

Hair decorations made of polymer clay

Polymer clay can be used to decorate hair clips, headbands and garters.
You can attach the elements to the base using special glue or invisible fishing line
For any products consisting of several elements, you need to make a sketch, because imagination does not always correspond to the result

Delicate flowers for decorating hairpins and headbands

We will need: polymer clay and stacks (you can use a toothpick)
Knead a piece of clay of the desired color and roll it into an oval
We make cuts, the same number as the number of petals planned
Now we make each petal, bending it using a stack
We give the flower the desired shape, trim off the excess plastic
The middle can be decorated with yellow plastic stamens or simply filled with paint
These flowers can be used for all types of decorations. They are very reminiscent of apple or apricot flowers

Flowers for polymer clay jewelry

Bracelet

This bracelet made of “cakes” and “gingerbreads” will appeal to both children and adult fashionistas.

To make this polymer clay jewelry you will need:

polymer clay;
acrylic paints;
pastel colors;
base chain;
toothpicks.

Choose the colors of polymer clay, acrylic and pastel paints at your discretion.

Follow these instructions for creating polymer clay jewelry for beginners:

Make preparations for the “cookies”. To do this, form two pancakes with a diameter of about 2 cm from brown clay.
Make indentations along the edges of these blanks, pressing on them with toothpicks. Make two such rings from brown clay.
From white clay, make a third element exactly like this. Connect them all together by placing the white ring in the center. To connect the elements, use liquid plastic.
Make a hole in the center for fastening, insert the wire and bend it with pliers, send it to the oven for baking. Decorate the “sweetness” on top with acrylic paints and pastels, creating an imitation of gingerbread or cookies.
Make these 5 elements. When painting gingerbread cookies, try to apply contrast, alternating them one at a time.
String decorative elements onto the bracelet chain. Stylish decoration is ready!

Other ideas for a master class on creating jewelry from polymer clay are presented in this video:

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Clay headbands

For clay rims, it is better to choose a thin base, plastic or metal.
When securing the elements, make sure that they do not cling to the hair.
Here are examples of headbands for inspiration:

Clay headband

Hairpins made of polymer clay

The basis of the hairpin can be an old plastic hairpin, a regular automatic hairpin or bobby pins
To ensure that the hairpin lasts a long time, do not choose elements that are too massive for small bases.

Hairpin ideas:

Hairpins made of polymer clay Hairpins made of polymer clay

Types of techniques for working with polymer clay

Plastic allows you to make jewelry in a wide variety of designs. This largely explains the variety of polymer clay jewelry on sale. The most popular techniques for working with this material are sugar, watercolor, filigree, mokume Gane.

As can be seen from the various master classes on polymer jewelry for beginners, the easiest way to master each technology is to make long beads. To do this, you need to make beads of the same size from plastic, string them on a thread, fire them and varnish them.

Brooch made of polymer clay

Let's make a simple but cute cat brooch from polymer clay
We choose a cat template that we like. We print it on the printer in the required size and cut it out
Now we prepare the plastic, rolling it into a thin layer
Place the template on the plastic and carefully cut out the desired shape with a blade.
Then we decorate our brooch at our discretion. This can be done using small elements, sparkles, strands and much more. Don't limit your imagination
We bake our brooch and use glue to attach it to the base.

Brooch idea

Cat template

Cats template

Polymer clay pendants

Making an original abstract pendant is easier than it seems
To do this, we will need plastic of several colors and a special machine for rolling out plastic.
This machine allows you to roll out polymer clay evenly and, what is important, create a smooth color transition
This result can be achieved without a machine, but it is painstaking work.
We lay the plastic in the desired color scheme and roll it into a thin layer
Then we cut off even thin strips and roll them into circles
It looks original if the edges of the strips are rough
Bake the resulting element. It can be used as a pendant or part of a necklace

Plastic pendant

Recommendations for working with polymer clay

First you need to decide on the plastic manufacturer. Domestic manufacturers are much cheaper than foreign ones and are not inferior to them in quality.

Don't buy a set of different shades at once. Take one block for testing. High-quality material should mix well with paints and should not develop cracks during the baking process.

Carefully read the instructions on how to learn how to make jewelry. This can be found on the clay packaging or online.

It is better to work with plastic with gloves and on a clean surface. This will help keep the color clean.

Take care of jewelry accessories in advance.